The Greater Boston Real Estate Board (GBREB) and college financial aid services advisor uAspire raised nearly a quarter-million dollars for academically gifted but economically disadvantaged students at the second Annual GBREB Foundation Scholarship Fund Leadership Breakfast held at the Intercontinental Boston Hotel on Friday, June 3rd. The Foundation also honored Chrystal Kornegay, UndersecretaryofHousing and Community Development for the Commonwealth, and Jack Spurr, President & CEO of A.W. Perry, with uAspire’s First One Award, given annually to business, education, healthcare, government and nonprofit leaders who were the first generation of their families to graduate from college. Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito – herself a first generation college graduate – delivered the keynote address before a gathering of approximately 250 real estate professionals, students and their families.

The masters of ceremonies for the event were a pair of scholarship recipients from last year’s Foundation breakfast, Kiana Mendes and Brandol Mejia, now first year students at Columbia University and Franklin Pierce University. “We are here to celebrate two incredible leaders in Chrystal Kornegay and Jack Spurr, who were both the first in their families to graduate from college,” began Mejia. “But most importantly, we’re here to celebrate the next generation of Chrystal Kornegays and Jack Spurrs – the 2016 scholarship recipients,” added Mendes.

GBREB and uAspire established the Foundation Scholarship in 2012, and in the first five years of the alliance have distributed over $500,000 in “last dollar” scholarships – intended to fill the gap between students' financial aid and the non-tuition costs of college, such as room and board, computers, and books and supplies – with the GBREB Foundation providing the funding and uAspire administering the scholarships. The scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, leadership experience, extracurricular involvement, and demonstrated financial need, range from $1,000 to $5,000 per year per student, and are guaranteed for two years.

Twenty-eight students were selected to receive scholarships at this year’s event, and in addition to the scholarships, a minimum of 10 recipients will also participate in the Foundation’s “College to Career” initiative, a paid, 6-8 week program that connects the students with firms involved in the various facets of the commercial real estate industry. The pilot for the internship program was launched last year, and is designed to cultivate a more diverse generation of real estate professionals in Greater Boston by exposing low-income and minority students to both the commercial and residential real estate industry. This year, A.W. Perry, Boston’s Luxury Properties, CBRE, Colliers International, Leggat McCall Properties, Peabody Properties, WinnCompanies, and the Unit Realty Group are among the firms that have agreed so far to provide internships for the summer of 2016, which begin in July. Openings also exist for more firms to participate.

“The Greater Boston Real Estate Board Foundation is making a real difference in the lives of these students,” said Greg Vasil, CEO of GBREB. “But without the generous support of our sponsors and the real estate community, this would not be possible.”